Photos: Tampa Bay’s Renaissance Festival returns to Dade City

The Bay Area Renaissance Festival is a decades-long tradition and celebration of Middle Age life, and for one weekend each year it…

By Ray Roa

Photos: Tampa Bay’s Renaissance Festival and St. Patrick’s Day collide in Dade City
107 slides

Review: Jobsite Theater's 'Beauty Queen' ensemble grabs you by the throat and won’t let go

From the long mane of red hair which falls in curls almost to her waist, to the lithe figure parading around the…

By Jon Palmer Claridge

It’s easy to see why Maureen (Katrina Stevenson, L, pictured with David Jenkins) is “the beauty queen of Leenane.”
113 slides

Photos: Everyone we saw when Reverb gallery opened at Ybor City’s Kress Collective

On the same night of a “State of the Arts” delivery by gallery owner Emiliano Settecasi, Ybor City’s Kress Collective opened its…

By Ray Roa

Photos: Everyone we saw when Reverb opened at Ybor City’s Kress Collective
63 slides

25 Tampa Bay hotels and resorts offering beach and poolside day passes for locals

Like any Tampa Bay resident will tell you, one of the best ways to head to the beach is through a local…

By Suzanne Townsend

Saddlebrook Resort
5700 Saddlebrook Way, Wesley Chapel, 813-973-1111    
$25-$125
    For $25 you can access the storied resort’s 500,000 gallon "superpool" with games like volleyball and basketball, as well as the adults-only pool for a more laid back vibe. Lounge chairs, complimentary Wi-Fi and access to the Poolside Cafe come with the day pass and you can upgrade to a reserved cabana in the shade for $100 more. 
       Photo via Saddlebrook Resort/Facebook
25 slides

ZooTampa's new interactive Stingray Shores exhibit opens today

ZooTampa's new interactive stingray exhibit is finally ready for its big debut. Stingray Shores, a new 30,000-gallon habit hosting both cownose and…

By Colin Wolf

ZooTampa's new interactive Stingray Shores exhibit opens today
15 slides

Photos: Everything we saw at St. Petersburg's Localtopia 2024

Just under 260,000 people who call St. Petersburg, Florida home, and it looked like every single one of them descended upon Williams…

By Ray Roa

Photos: Everything we saw at St. Petersburg's Localtopia 2024
84 slides

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The 20 quintessential greatest things to do in Tampa Bay

There's never a shortage of fun things to do in Tampa Bay, and while we can't list them all, we can most…

By CL Staff

Visit a truly beachside restaurant or bar
    Where else than Tampa Bay can you enjoy a cold beer and cheeseburger while sticking your toes in the sand? Not every restaurant can combine good eats and beachside views. So, hit the link above for a comprehensive list of local restaurants and bars that are truly on the sand.  
    Photo via Caddy’s/Instagram
20 slides

Popular roller skating rink at St. Pete Pier reopens in March

The St. Pete Pier is giving locals and visitors another chance to roll on over next month. After making its debut last…

By Suzanne Townsend

Rockin' Roller Rink is at St. Petersburg Pier from March 8-April 14, 2024.
58 slides

Review: freeFall’s ‘God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater’ is ripe for these times when the death of our democracy is very real

You can always count on freeFall Theatre. Even though its post-pandemic branding urges audiences to “simply escape awhile,” Artistic Director Eric Davis…

By Jon Palmer Claridge

Cameron Kubly as Norman Mushari in 'God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater' showing at freeFall Theatre in St. Petersburg, Florida through March 10, 2024.
9 slides

Photos: Sensei Kreese and everyone else we saw at the 2024 Dunedin Film Festival

Early this month, Dunedin International Film Festival took over downtown for four days of film, and parties to celebrate the work. Martin…

By Ray Roa

Sensei Kreese (R) greets fans at the 2024 Dunedin International Film Festival.
30 slides

Review: Tampa Rep’s ‘Straight White Men’ offers a nuanced look inside complicated family dynamics

As you enter the black box at University of South Florida's Theatre Centre, you are bombarded by the sounds of female driven…

By Jon Palmer Claridge

(L-R)  Don Walker, Jim Sorensen, James Putnam, and Christopher Marshall as the Straight White Men at Tampa Rep.
17 slides

Everything we saw at Tampa's 2024 Gasparilla Parade of Pirates

It was perfect weather for a pirate parade. Last Saturday,  over 300,000 mateys plundered Tampa's Bayshore Boulevard for the third largest parade…

By Colin Wolf

Everything we saw at Tampa's 2024 Gasparilla Parade of Pirates
420 slides

Rats on Coke cans, bougie baby bottles, among easter eggs in MFA St. Pete’s ‘Nature of Art’ show

Headlines be damned, “The Nature of Art” is a serious exhibition. The show—at St. Petersburg’s Museum of Fine Arts through April 14—is…

By Jennifer Ring

A rat sails away on a Coke can in Duke Riley’s “Tidal Fool.”
12 slides

Photos: Lisa McCarthy and Duke Riley open new shows at Tempus Projects in Ybor City

A year after moving in, Ybor City’s Kress Collective has become the beating heart of the district’s visual arts scene. Last weekend,…

By Ray Roa

Tempus Projects founder Tracy Midulla (L) and Lisa McCarthy at Kress Collective in Ybor City, Florida on Jan. 18, 2024.
31 slides

Photos: Inaugural Sunshine Comedy Festival brings more than 100 comedians to Tampa Bay

Tampa Bay’s comedy scene can finally say that it hosted a successful, weekend-long, multi-venue festival on both sides of the Bay. For…

By Ray Roa

Sunshine Comedy Festival at Coastal Creative in St. Petersburg, Florida on Jan. 12, 2024.
91 slides

Remembering Tampa Bay's best amusement parks and attractions that no longer exist

Did you know that Tampa was once home to a pirate theme park, or that the city also had a gas station…

By Colin Wolf

Safety Village
For decades, just about every Tampa kid visited Safety Village, a 1.6-acre miniature city in Lowry Park. At the time, Mayor Nick Nuccio's idea was to allow kids to drive electric go-carts around this tiny town and learn all about pedestrian and traffic safety. The park existed from 1965 all the way until 2010, and today a few of the miniature buildings are located inside the Glazer's Children's Museum in downtown Tampa.
21 slides

Photos: St. Pete Stand Up series brings comedy to Ferg’s

St. Pete Stand Up, Bob Holden’s weekly stand up comedy series, already has a home at St. Pete Brewing Co., but it’s…

By Ray Roa

Bob Holden at Ferg's Sports Bar and Grill in St. Petersburg, Florida on Jan. 9, 2024.
38 slides

Interview: St. Pete native Bryce McGuire explains how home plays into his new movie, ‘Night Swim'

Water has long been an element of Bryce McGuire’s art. Lovedream, the landmark 2010 folk-pop album from his band Grecian Urns is…

By Ray Roa

Director Bryce McGuire on the set of Night Swim.
13 slides

Photos: All the pretty kitties we saw at the 2023 St. Petersburg Catstravaganza

Local cat-people congregated at the St. Petersburg Coliseum last weekend when Loving Cats Worldwide—an organization that is driven to support not just…

By Ray Roa

Photos: All the pretty kitties we saw at the 2023 St. Petersburg Catstravaganza
34 slides

The best Florida books of 2023

It’s that time of the year when—for better and worse—your office shuts down for two weeks and your family coalesces around you.…

By Chelsea Zukowski, Ray Roa

A crop of the Dec. 14, 2023 cover of Creative Loafing Tampa Bay.
42 slides

Photos: People were dancing and painting in the streets during Tampa Arts Alliance’s Monday pop-up

It was like an art explosion went off in downtown Tampa Monday morning. Music blared down Jackson Street as the Tampa City…

By Jennifer Ring

Tampa City Ballet performs in downtown Tampa, Florida on Dec. 11, 2023.
82 slides

Photos: St. Pete's Tropicana Field is the prettiest it’s ever been during Enchant Christmas

It's snowball, sledding and holiday light season in Tampa Bay, and Tropicana Field has once again turned into a glowy, glittery mini…

By Chelsea Zukowski

Photos: St. Pete's Tropicana Field is the prettiest it’s ever been during Enchant Christmas
39 slides

Where to find snowballs, sledding, Christmas trees, Santa and other holiday activities in Tampa Bay

The holiday season is upon us, and its the perfect opportunity to get together with family and enjoy some (fake) snow, holiday…

By Min Craig, Colin Wolf

Busch Gardens Christmas Town

10165 McKinley Dr., Tampa
Through Jan. 7
 Hop aboard the Holly Jolly Express train at Busch Gardens Christmas Town and sing along to your favorite holiday tunes while you have views of giraffes, rhinos and zebras. While you’re there you can meet Rudolph and Santa as well as his elves while they’re hard at work in his workshop. There will be plenty of shows, live entertainment, and seasonal bits and drinks. 
Photo via Busch Gardens/Facebook
26 slides

The best ways to see Christmas lights in Tampa Bay this holiday season

The holidays are upon us, which means it won't be cold, but there will be millions of twinkly lights, and Tampa Bay…

By Min Craig, Colin Wolf

 Christmas Town at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay
    10165 McKinley Dr., Tampa
    Nov. 11-Jan. 7
    Busch Gardens’ annual Christmas Town celebration is back, and features expansive holiday light shows, fireworks, train rides, up-close animal encounters, seasonal food options and a chance to meet Santa in his workshop, as well as a photo-op with Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer. Entry is included with park admission.
  Photo via Busch Gardens/Website
21 slides

Photos: All the fast AF party people we saw at St. Pete Run Fest 2023

St. Pete Run Fest went down last Saturday, and included the Duke Clean Energy 5K.

By Ray Roa

Photos: All the fast AF party people we saw at St. Pete Run Fest 2023
46 slides

More than 75 local artists are part of Creative Pinellas’ Arts Annual, which kicks off this weekend

To fully experience Pinellas County’s art scene, you must venture beyond its museums. Places like the Museum of Fine Arts, The Dali,…

By Jennifer Ring

Paradise Found by Elizabeth Barenis
32 slides

Here are some of Tampa Bay's best historical walking tours

The weather is finally starting to cool down in Florida and many of us are trying to find any excuse possible to…

By Jourdan Ducat

Ybor City Historical Walking Tour
Among the growing list of Ybor City walking tours, this daily event takes attendees down Seventh Avenue and promises “encyclopedic knowledge of Ybor City.” If you’ve not been to the Cuban-owned Parque Jose Marti, this is an opportune time to do so. You can also expect to hear about Teddy Roosevelt and his Rough Riders, as well as the corrupt past of the mobsters that called this area home. The Ybor City Historical Walking Tour is $30 for adults and $10 for kids 12 and under.Photo via Visit Tampa Bay
20 slides

Photos from Clearwater’s inaugural Art in the Park

Clearwater’s downtown had an exciting 2023. The last year brought downtown a new park (the new and improved Coachman Park), a new…

By Jennifer Ring

Photos: All the beautiful art and people we saw at Clearwater’s inaugural Art in the Park
76 slides

The best Tampa Bay parks and hikes for seeing alligators in the wild

There's an old Florida saying that goes something like "You should always assume there's a gator in every body of water," and…

By Colin Wolf

Lettuce Lake Conservation Park 
    6920 East Fletcher Avenue, Tampa 
    This is probably one of the best and safer spots in the Tampa area to take the kids to see a gator in the wild. When the weather starts to cool, if you visit Lettuce Lake in the afternoon when the sun is high, it’s pretty much a “gator guarantee.” You can rent a canoe or kayak here, but the easiest thing to do is just head down the 3,500-foot boardwalk and climb the observation tower. You’ll see ‘em, they’re out there. Plus, there’s a playground near the parking lot to get all the kiddo’s zoomies out.  
 
    Photo by Ray Roa
20 slides

Photos: Tony Hawk, Bam Margera, more were at the Skatepark of Tampa for the Tampa Am

Some came to the Skatepark of Tampa (SPoT) last Friday decked out in full Halloween regalia (shout-out to the human cone). But…

By Ray Roa

Tony Hawk at Skatepark of Tampa in Tampa, Florida on Oct. 13, 2023.
152 slides